


Serendipity

by pan_dora



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Chance Meeting, M/M, Post Break-up, Steo, Stiles/Theo - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-08 22:38:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16438151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pan_dora/pseuds/pan_dora
Summary: “Oh.” The distant behaviour was strange. Even during their break-up, they were physically close. Theo had always thought Stiles had ended their relationship despite his feelings. Now it seemed as if he had fallen out of love with him. Theo didn't know what to make of it. “My teammates think I need to move on.” He folded his hands, watched Stiles closely for any kind of reaction. But he continued to look at the edge of his bed, features unmoving. Withdrawn. Theo didn’t appreciate when he was like that. “What are you doing here?”





	Serendipity

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I've written from Theo's perspective, so... fair warning. I'm definitively not used to that - and I'm not quite sure I've found his voice quite yet. So, there's that.

It’s a scent at first. Theo chooses to pretend it’s his imagination, a faint memory he probably should keep under lock and key. There are too many people on the beach to find its source anyway. There are too many people on the beach that it may be a perfume, an aftershave mixed with something else. On top of that, he headed off to an impromptu vacation with his football team to finally move on. Stiles dumped him almost four months ago. They haven't spoken to each other in three. Usually, he shakes these things off no problem. There's a pool of people he can choose from. But Stiles is different. He's always been different. 

Theo takes a breath, unable to shake the scent, just like he can’t shake Stiles. He gives in to his instincts. His body has always been attuned to him. Stiles is like a magnet for his eyes, thoughts, body. Although he knows how naive it is, Theo lets his eyes wander - and spots him. A breath catches in his throat. _Stiles._ His hair is longer than it was the last time they’d seen each other. It hangs in messy strands into his forehead. His shoulders a bit broader filling out the unusual pink shirt perfectly. He stares into the distance, lost in his thoughts. Theo doesn't remember having him seen this relaxed in a place full of people. Not after everything that has happened in Beacon Hills.

It’s like seeing him for the first time all over again. 

Theo knows he screwed up. He deserved everything Stiles threw his way. It hurt. It still hurts when he allows himself to remember, yet, Theo can’t ignore a second chance presented to him either. He spins the football in his hand, can't take his eyes away from his ex-boyfriend. Not when he hasn't seen or heard from him in so long. Stiles blocked him on Twitter, the only social media account he owns; even that he uses perhaps once every few months. Although Theo hasn’t made a secret out of the vacation, he doubts Stiles heard about it. His innocent little friends never liked him to begin with. They wouldn’t have told him. Whether Stiles being here is a giant coincidence or part of a plan doesn’t matter.

Theo won’t let this go to waste. With a small smirk, he stops spinning the football not allowing himself to turn away even when his teammates come to stand next to him. “Guess someone wants me to have a second chance.” They know about his break-up because he couldn't keep it to himself. For the first time in his life, he needed to talk to someone about his feelings, about this pain or he would've found a way to rip it out.

“You really think that’s a good idea?” Jordan crosses his arms, his eyes narrowed for the most critical expression. Although Theo hasn’t gone out of his way to make friends in college, the captain of the football team sticks around. He's an all-around nice guy. They shouldn't work the way they do, but he doesn't understand friendship enough to be the judge of that. Theo assumes Jordan stays out of professional curiosity. Someone like Theo has to be a turn on for every psychology student.

When it comes to Stiles, however, Theo won't hesitate to drop everyone. He shoves the football into Jordan's hands. “Probably not.” He smirks up at him, who shakes his head. “But that won’t change my mind.”Nothing will. No matter what happened between them, Theo can't stay away, won't ever stay away. This could be his only chance to get him back. He'd stop at nothing to let it go to waste.

 

Only one scent lingers at the door. Theo tightens and loosens his fist. Stiles travels alone, something Theo wouldn’t have allowed. Too dangerous. He should know that. At least the motel he stays at seems like he won’t contract an illness the second Stiles stepped into the room. Theo doesn’t like it either way. Stiles' friends should never have let him go on his own. They saw the monsters waiting for their chance in the shadows. How irresponsible.

Theo flips his snapback around, trails the room number with his eyes. 312. He can't help the quiet snort. The date of their break-up. He wonders if Stiles noticed. Most likely. His mind is too sharp to miss those details. Theo swallows. His fingers twitch in the direction of the doorknob. He can hear Stiles rummaging around the room. Unsuspecting. At ease. Heartbeat calm and familiar. Theo closes his eyes, unable to stop the memories - the laughter, the sex, even their fights. They fought so much. Too much. But the good times were worth it. Stiles is worth everything. Theo takes a deep breath. Stiles smells like sand, like saltwater. He smells like himself and gunpowder. Opening his eyes, Theo nods. It seems Stiles took up shooting after all. That’s good. In their world, he needs to defend himself with whatever means possible.

His nails bite into the palm of his hand. Usually, Theo wouldn't hesitate to open the door. But it’s Stiles. He doesn’t want to ruin this. After taking another breath, he raps his knuckles against the door. Two quick knocks. The sounds from inside the room quieted down. Suddenly, Theo has the urge to fidget. He pushes his hands in the pockets of his jeans, shoves the nervous energy to the ground. Despite anticipating that Stiles will slam the door in his face, Theo has a hard time to predict his reaction. Stiles has never been easy to judge, that's part of what makes him so interesting.

The lock click. A door chain drags over metal. He’s still careful. Other people might call it paranoid. They don't know the real world. They don't know what he survived.

Theo shifts his weight from his left to his right leg. Finally, the door opens with a barely audible creak. His breath catches in his throat, and he swallows again. He's nervous. He's never been this nervous, not even when the doctors replaced his own heart with that of his sister.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Stiles stares at him with furrowed brows and lips curved in a disapproving line. Crossing his arms, he leans against the door frame leaving a point of entry to his right.

Theo would lie if he said he isn’t relieved about this reaction. It gives him an opening. No matter how small, any sort of opening was a chance. “I saw you on the beach.” Without looking at Stiles, he slips past him into the hotel room. Theo picks up on a quiet sigh. His heart jumps into his throat. Exasperated, he realises, not angry. That's good. It's a chance. Meeting here, it's a chance for him to make up for his mistakes. Fact remains, however, that if Stiles told him to go, Theo would leave. He doesn’t want Stiles to hate him more than he does. But the door closes with a click. It’s official. Theo is allowed in, and he will fight tooth and nail to keep it that way.

“And the logical conclusion, of course, is stalking instead of talking to me on the beach.”

Theo glances at the mess of clothes on the bed farthest away from the door, then to the backpack in the corner. It's Stiles in a nutshell, a force of chaos until a plan is in the work. Theo allows the smile to settle on his lips. He doesn't need to hide. Not from Stiles. “I told one of my teammates to figure out where you’re staying,” he tells him offhandedly and turns around to face him.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Theo.” Stiles presses his hands to his face. He looks good. Attractive. The shirt hugs his shoulders and chest in just the right way. But it's not his physical attraction that keeps Theo so drawn to him. Stiles is detached, free almost. Theo never liked how composed he is around his friends. “You really didn’t change even a little bit, did you?” Stiles's smile is sharp and sarcastic, and he crosses the room to go back to the bed covered in his belongings. “What are you doing here?”

Theo sits down on the other one watching as Stiles runs a hand through his damp hair. Briefly, he wonders how it feels between his own fingers. A thought that comes with enough longing, he decides to throw caution to the wind. “I wanted to see you.”

Stiles shakes his head, wet strands reluctantly following the movement. With a long sigh, he bents one leg on the mattress underneath him. The other bounces up and down in rapid succession. Always moving. Never resting. It makes him look so alive. “No, what are you doing  _here_.” He gestures around. “In Santa Monica.”

“Oh.” The distant behaviour is offputting. Even during their break-up, they were physically close. Theo chose to believe Stiles ended their relationship despite his feelings. Now it seems as if he has fallen out of love with him. His mouth goes dry. He doesn't know how to make someone fall in love with him, even less Stiles. They stumbled into a relationship. They were a logical conclusion of everything that happened between and around them. “My teammates think I need to move on.” He foldshis hands, presses his fingertips against the back of his hands. The nervous energy waits underneath the surface as watches Stiles closely for any kind of reaction. But the other boy continues to stare at the ground, features unmoving. Withdrawn. Theo can't stand when he pulls away from him. They are supposed to talk to each other, to be honest with each other. Theo has to clear his throat before he can continue talking, “what are you doing here?”

Stiles briefly glances in his direction. They don’t lock eyes, mainly because Stiles stays clear of his face. “My mom went on this road trip through the US before she married Dad.” He shrugs and grimaces, almost as if something is bothering him about the story or his own position.

It's like someone forces a hand down his throat to squeeze his heart. Swallowing multiple times around the lump stuck in his throat, Theo rubs his sternum. He needs to get rid of this feeling, of this panic threatening to end him. “Are you getting married?”

Stiles scoffs and jumps to his feet, paces the room. “We broke up not even four months ago. What do you think?” He crosses and uncrosses his arms. His agitation draws Theo in, and he scoots closer to the edge of the mattress; ready to move the second he has a chance. “I’m not in the right mindset for a romantic relationship or any form of commitment.” He speaks like he doesn’t want to admit it, clenches his teeth as if that can keep the words from spilling out. But Stiles has never been good at keeping his thoughts inside of his head. It’s part of his charm. “I just- I’m trying to figure out what I want.”

“By travelling?” Theo tilts his head to the side, frowning slightly.

“By travelling alone.”

That doesn’t make more sense, but Theo decides not to push it further. He knows better than to push Stiles. It rarely goes anywhere. “So," Theo says slowly, dreading the reply, "did you figure out what you want?”

Stiles turns around and licks his lips. Momentarily, his eyes dart to Theo. He’s pretty with his lips shiny and plump. Theo can't stop himself from remembering how they felt against his own, how they curved into a smile every time Theo kissed him. It gets harder by the second not to take what he wants. Aside from power, there isn’t anything he truly cared for. Until Stiles. He is an exception to the rule, always will be. When Theo came back to Beacon Hills, Stiles was supposed to be a token, something he could steal from under Scott’s nose. Feelings were never part of the plan. But Stiles is as unpredictable as a tornado. With him, Theo never knew what he'd get, what would happen next - he only ever knew that Stiles would be with him.

Until he wasn't anymore.

“No.” Stiles lets out a long breath and droops his head. His knuckles turn white under pressure.

Theo stands up, legs heavy as he walks, and Stiles’ bright eyes follow the movement warily. This distance is killing him. Theo can’t be around Stiles while sitting on a bed on the other side of the room. Their relationship has never been like this. Even before they started dating, they always stayed close. It's an instinct impossible to fight, and he doesn’t want to anyway. “When you broke up with me-"

Stiles closes his eyes. “Theo, please, don't-"

Theo doesn't know what he doesn’t want him to do; get close or drag the past back up. Maybe both. It doesn’t matter. Not now. “When you broke up with me, I didn’t understand what I’ve done wrong.” Theo leans against the wall. Stiles is within reach, so he can haul him close the second he sees his defences crack open. They will, eventually. They have to. He can't do this alone. He can't be this person without him. He'll fall back into old habits, but he doesn't want to. Not anymore. He wants to be the person Stiles Stilinski fell in love with.

“I don’t think you  _do_ understand,” Stiles tells him without looking in his direction. “You sent one of your fucking teammates after me.” His shoulders are a rigid line, and his hands vanish into the pocket of his sweatpants. Fidgeting with the fabric, most likely.

Theo drags his gaze over his slumped frame. Even leaning against the wall, the heel of his foot moves up and down rapidly, like a sprinter getting ready to run. “I miss you.”

Stiles looks up, and finally locks eyes with him. “You’re fucking with me, aren’t you?” His eyes are dark with anger. No matter how hard it is to deal with an angry Stiles, it’s easier than to struggle with a rational one. Theo hates to fight against his head because it's a fight he can't win. But anger makes Stiles vulnerable, anger gives Theo something he can work with.

“What?”

“Do you think I fall for this shit?”

Theo blinks. “What?”

“ _Everything_ ,” Stiles accuses making a wide, dismissive gesture. “You act like this and- and your teammates dragging you here of all places? At the exact same time I’m here?” His doubts are fair. It wouldn’t be the first time Theo deliberately followed Stiles somewhere. He did it when he wanted to go clubbing with Liam, Mason, and Lydia. Stiles accused Theo of not trusting him. Which was wrong. Still is wrong. He never doubted Stiles. Not once. He doesn’t trust others to treat Stiles the way he is supposed to be treated.

Theo shrugs and tries to swallow the bitter taste of desperation. “You can ask them.” Has he judged the situation wrong? He shouldn't have. He never has before. “It wasn’t my idea to come here. We haven’t talked in three months. How was I supposed to know you’d be here?”

Stiles pushes himself off the wall, finally giving in to his body's desire to move again. “What do I know? Send someone after me. It’s what you  _do_ , Theo.”

“Let me call Jordan, he’ll-“

“I don’t want to hear it, I don’t even wanna talk to you!”

It hurts more than any insult could. Theo looks away from Stiles for a moment. Away and down, closing his eyes. “Then why didn’t you tell me to leave?”

“Because you would’ve  _left_  like you always do. We fight, I tell you to go fuck yourself and you leave instead of standing up for yourself. Even when I’m clearly in the wrong, you take my shit.” Stiles spins around to look at him again both arms outstretched either to point or pull him in. He does neither. “On one hand, you fawn upon me because you’re so insecure about yourself you think I might leave you just because of a disagreement.” This is their break-up all over again. Only worse, even though they aren’t technically together anymore. “On the other hand, you're controlling and selfish and you use people to get your way.” That’s the reason Stiles broke up with him. Theo remembers that. He understands that. But the first part doesn’t make any sense. What is so bad about avoiding conflict?

“Stiles-"

“No, nothing changed.” Stiles moves to the bed again and plops down, falls onto his back. He presses his hands to his temples as if he has a headache. “You told your fucking teammate to follow me. I can’t believe you learned nothing. I mean-"

“Okay. It was wrong,” Theo interrupts and crosses the room. It seems like the only thing he is sure about. Out of all those confusing feelings, those he has for Stiles are easy to understand. “I was wrong, I get it.” He comes to a stop between his legs. Not touching although his fingers twitch to do just that. But, again, pushing Stiles won't get him to his intended goal. He has to play by his rules. He has to dance along the lines Stiles has drawn, never pushing always grazing.

“You said that before.” Stiles looks at him, suddenly almost exhausted. “You said that every time and I wanted to believe you so bad.”

“You still love me.”

Stiles closes his eyes. “Love was never our problem.”

“Then give me a chance.” He needs only one. He can be better. For Stiles, he would do everything.

“How many fucking chances am I supposed to give you?” Stiles looks up at him, eyes wide and helpless. Swallowing heavily, he sits up again. “I still love you, Theo, and I’m grateful you love me despite- despite everything. But I’m not a bird you can keep in a cage, and as long as you don’t understand that, I can’t give you another chance.”

Theo nods. That's something he can work with, something he understands. “Okay.” Theo reaches out a hand, slowly, fingertips brushing his hairline. Only when Stiles doesn’t pull away, Theo allows himself to run his fingers through his hair. “Okay.” He likes the longer hair. It feels right between his fingers, underneath his palm.

Stiles tilts his head back to look up at him, and Theo curls his fingers around his chin. “I’ll be gone tomorrow morning, and I’ll be gone for three more weeks.” How can he prove anything if they aren’t seeing each other? “When I’m back, perhaps-“ No. They have to be together. He can't prove anything if they can't be together.

Theo doesn't want to hear perhaps. He doesn’t want to hear maybe. Before he can stop himself, he leans down down and presses their mouths together. The noise Stiles makes is killing him, and his fingers trembles as he pushes him back onto the mattress. Stiles grasps his shirt, his whole body shakes underneath Theo's. Like he wants it. Like it should be. His scent wraps around him, drags him down into their own personal world. They are falling, fast and hard, back into each other as if they've never been separated, as if nothing has changed. Stiles whispers his name, whispers  _please_ but never explains what he asks for. So, Theo holds him instead, kisses him, gives him what his body wants. Stiles takes it with greed, takes every broken piece Theo is willing to give and merges him into to the person he craves to be. Fingernails dig into his shoulders, his neck. An arched back. A mouth falling open. Eyes squeezing shut. A throat exposed.

Theo growls as the artificial beast inside him begs to take what’s offered. It's content with curling up at Stiles' side, however, head resting on his chest. His heartbeat and scent ease him to sleep, help him remember what home feels like.

 

When he wakes up, the bed next to him is empty. Half-asleep, Theo has no chance to keep the fear away. It clouds his mind, closes his throat. He's afraid to lose him again. He can't lose him again. Not when he has been allowed to have him one more time. He takes a breath, squeezes his eyes shut. Then, when his own rapid heartbeat settles, he picks up on quiet footsteps coming from the bathroom and a steady heartbeat he would recognise everywhere. He hears Stiles chuckle. The mattress dips a little when he sits down and traces his spine with a finger.

“What time is it?” Theo rolls onto his back squinting against the sun burning through the window.

Stiles' hand comes to rest on his chest, right over his beating heart. “Eleven.” His features are peaceful. He closes his eyes, and Theo knows he can't hear his heartbeat but he can feel it. Stiles used to do this every morning they woke up together. He never dared to ask him why out of fear that he might stop.

Only after Stiles has opened his eyes again does Theo grab his hand. “I thought-"

“Well, I haven’t told you the whole story,” Stiles mutters leaning back against the headboard. Theo mirrors him scrutinising his face. Half-truths and stories untold aren't what he wants. Stiles sighs, then smiles briefly before slipping a little lower to snuggle up against him. Theo curls an around his shoulder and holds him close. “Mom had gone on a trip before she married Dad, but she ended it early cause she realised she didn’t want to be without him.” Stiles breaths in and closed his eyes, presses his face against his shoulder. “This is the last chance I can give you.”

Theo wraps both arms around him, too afraid to see him slip away again. “Okay.”

“I mean it.” Stiles looks up at him, eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “No stalking, no reading my texts, no sending people after me to figure out where I am. If you don’t trust me-"

Theo bends down to kiss him for no longer than a heartbeat, and Stiles tucks his head underneath his chin. His hand finds its place over Theo's heart again. Theo breathes him in, closes his eyes. Stiles smells of shampoo and soap now, of fresh clothes and himself. “I trust you.” It’s the others he can’t judge. It’s the others he doesn’t trust with Stiles.

“Good.” This feels right, Stiles in his arms, his scent mingling with his, smelling like home, like them, heartbeat calm. “Don’t make me regret this.”

“I won’t.”

**Author's Note:**

> based on this [(x)](https://msmischief101.tumblr.com/post/179428403587/its-a-scent-at-first-theo-chose-to-pretend-its) & finished because of this [(x)](https://msmischief101.tumblr.com/post/179478808288/hey-im-like-really-intrigued-by-the-prompt-you) lovely prompt


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